My Favorite Inspiring Quotes
Desire
Commentary by Peter Shepherd
“Desire creates havoc when it is the only thing between two people, or when it is what’s missing.” ~ Mignon McLaughlin
Madame de Stael reckons, “The desire of the man is for the woman, but the desire of the woman is for the desire of the man.” That’s too black and white and only may be true, plus there are surely qualities in a man that women desire. Sexual desire is a needed aspect of intimate relationship, but not the only thing, of course.
“You are your deepest driving desire. As is your desire so is your will. As is your will, so are your deeds. As are your deeds so is your destiny.” ~ Upanishads
Desire is fundamental to our being, and is only problematic if the identification becomes fixed, an attachment, something you’re unable to be happy without. Otherwise it is at the root of our motivation, our goals in life.
“The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear.” ~ Brian Tracy
Love always rules over fear because it reflects our true nature and power, and also attracts support from others and the universe. Best to live your life based on what you truly want; then, instead of conforming to the expectations of others or trying to impress them, you will be inspired and most likely achieve both success and happiness.
Emanuel Swedenborg puts it so well: “Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things even if we do not get anything in return. It is the joy of our life to do them. When we do good things from this inner desire, there is kindness in everything we think, say, want, and do.”
And Marianne Williamson likewise: “Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve.”
And the Dalai Lama: “I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.”
“The key that unlocks energy is desire. It’s also the key to a long and interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within ourselves, we have to get excited.” ~ Earl Nightingale
Nevertheless, a desire can sit dormant. As Tom Morris says, “A goal is not the same as a desire, and this is an important distinction to make. You can have a desire you don’t intend to act on. But you can’t have a goal you don’t intend to act on.” So a desire becomes a goal when it is both strong enough and realistically achievable, then there is enough commitment to act, persist and succeed.
“You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Napoleon Hill sums this up: “Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat. Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire, which transcends everything.”
Here’s some further reading on this theme...
The Law of Attraction and Common Sense - by Kenneth MacLean
Common sense tells us that you have to know what you want, and have a strong intent to get it. Common sense also tells us that you have get into action as well. The great thing about the Law of Attraction is that the universe is set up to give you what you want. When you know clearly what you want, your desire is strong, and your focus is aligned with your desire, you get fired up and the actions you perform are effortless and exciting. Continues...
Your Heart's Desire ~ by Peter Shepherd
We adopt identities aligned with the goals we make for our life, the things we want to create and achieve. Some of these goals are original and personal, e.g. to help people through healing or to be a performer or inventor. Others we inherit from our cultural upbringing, e.g. the judgment of success as riches, the fashions of what beauty consists of. Much of this is blindly followed if we do not live with full consciousness. Continues...
